


Cat's Tongue

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Self-Indulgent, but stranger things have happened, probably not continuing this one so i'm calling it abandoned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2020-12-14 00:50:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21006959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: Nott hears a strange sound coming from under her porch and finds more than she had expected to.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I've been wanting to write something for this concept for like a month now. The writing became a bit more stylized and experimental than I expected it to, so I hope that's not a turn off for you guys.

Midnight found Nott out on the back porch. Many midnights found Nott out there. Sleep was something that Nott found hard to find. Not wanting to disturb Yeza or Luc, she went outside to think and stare at the stars. It was peaceful.

Something thumped beneath the porch. Nott sighed as she got up. It was probably one of the stray cats that liked to stay under there. Yeza felt bad for them and would leave out a little something for the cats to eat despite Nott’s better judgement. She crouched down using her phone as a flashlight. “Here, puss puss,” she called out softly. The light reflected off of two eyes. There was something off about them, but Nott couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was. “Come on, puss puss, this is no place for you.”

A muttering almost growl came from the cat as it came closer. No, not cat. There was no way that creature was a cat. Nott scrambled away from the deck as the creature came. It was huge, well, maybe not huge, but it was much bigger than Nott was(not that that took much). Its eyes glowed eerily as it cocked its head towards Nott. The creature was almost human looking, but the proportions were all wrong, it was too skinny and long, and its ears were those of a cat’s and there was a tail.

Nott screamed in terror. The creature blinked slowly at her, one eye at a time, and then screamed back. Unable to think of anything better, she threw her shoe at it. “Die mother$%#*er!!”

“Die mother$%#*er!” the creature shouted back. It’s voice was strangely accented and it spoke haltingly.

“Hey! That was my line!” Nott shouted. It was a terrifying thing to behold, but Nott wasn’t going to let it just use her best lines.

The creature stared at her. “Hey. That was my line.” It paused a short moment after each word.

“Wait, are you repeating me?” Nott asked. Her adrenaline was already disappearing.

The creature sat down. “Wait, are you repeating me.” It stared at Nott expectantly.

Nott collapsed on the ground. Nothing made sense anymore. This had to be a nightmare. She held her head in her hands. There was no way this was happening. Maybe this was a sign that she needed to stop drinking. 

An annoyed sound interrupted her thoughts. The creature waved its hand in a circle like it wanted her to keep doing something.

“You want me to keep talking?”

“You want me to keep talking,” the creature repeated and then nodded. 

Nott stood up. “This is not happening. You’re not real. I’m still asleep. Or you’re just a hallucination.”

“This is not happening. You’re not real. I’m still asleep. Or you’re just a hallucination.” The creature’s words were starting to become less stilted though it still had that peculiar accent.

“Why am I even doing this?” Nott asked. “I should just go inside.”

“Why am I even doing this. I should just go inside.” The creature paused. “Not inside.” It sounded like a plead. “Talking.” The creature pointed to itself and Nott.

Nott stared at it for a moment. “You want us to keep talking?”

“You want us to keep to keep talking.” It nodded. “I want talking.”

“Why?” Nott asked.

The creature frowned. “Why?” It looked around for a moment. “I’m not talking. I’m repeating. I want talking.” What wasn’t repeated sounded disjointed and difficult.

Nott’s eyes grew wide once he figured it out. “You’re learning. You learn language by repeating it.”

“You’re learning. You learn language by repeating it.” The creature smiled timidly. “I’m learning. I need language.”

“Can I just list words for you or does it have to be in a sentence?” Nott asked.

The creature frowned. “Can I just list words for you or does it have to be in a sentence.” It gave the question some thought and then shrugged.

“Yes, no, avocado,” Nott said.

“Yes, no, avocado.” The creature sat there like it was tasting the words on its tongue. It then shook its head.

Nott shrugged. “It was worth a try. Would’ve made it a lot easier.”

The creature repeated what she said and then nodded.

“What’s your name?” 

“What’s your name?” The creature looked confused. “What’s a name?”

“That’s what people call you. Like I’m Nott, well that’s my nickname, my given name’s actually Veth,” Not said. “And then my husband’s Yeza and my little boy’s Luc.”

The creature sunk down after repeating after Nott. “I don’t have a name.”

“Do you want one?” Nott asked cautiously.

“Do you want one. Do I want one?” the creature asked. It sounded so small and lost Nott decided that she was going to take care of it no matter what.

“That’s up to you. If you want one, I can give you a name.” Nott wasn’t sure if she was the right one to name it, but it seemed like it didn’t have anyone else. 

The creature stared at her for a moment before repeating. It paused again. “I want you to me a name.” There was a serious gravitas to it.

“Okay. A name. Wait, are you a boy or a girl? Or do you not adhere to the binary gender structure?”

“Okay. A name, Wait, are you a boy or a girl. Or do you not adhere to the binary gender structure.” The creature smiled slightly. “Boy.”

Nott nodded giving it some thought. “Well, there’s always Oscar, or maybe Bren. I’ve always liked Caleb myself. Otto’s also nice.”

“Well, there’s always Oscar, or maybe Bren. I’ve always liked Caleb myself. Otto’s also nice,” the creature repeated. “Caleb. I am Caleb.”

“You definitely look like a Caleb,” Nott said with a smile. And it was true. Despite his frightening looks, the name suited. “Where did you come from?”

After he repeated what Nott said, Caleb pointed under the porch.

Nott sighed. “I meant before you were under the porch. Where are you from?”

“I meant before you were under the porch. Where are you from.” Caleb looked up and pointed at the stars.

“So you’re an alien? You’re from another planet?”

Caleb was still looking up at the stars as he mimicked what Nott said. “I am from another planet.”

A thousand questions came to Nott’s mind but the first to come out was, “Then why are you here?”

“I do not have the words.” Caleb frowned drawing back.

“You don’t have the words to explain that yet.” Nott had never really thought about how many unique words she used just to talk in normal conversations. “Wait, you didn’t repeat what I said that time.”

“You don’t have the words to explain that yet. Wait, you didn’t repeat what I said that time.” Caleb smiled smugly. “I’m learning your language. I have the words.”

Nott rubbed her chin. “So you only repeat sentences that have words you don’t know yet. You must be very smart.”

“So you only repeat sentences that have words you don’t know yet. You must be very smart.” Caleb’s face turned red. “I’m not.”

“No, I’m Nott,” Nott said with a grin. 

Caleb stared at her and almost chuckled. “You’re Nott.”

“Can you tell me why you were hiding under my porch?” Nott asked.

“Can you tell me why you were hiding under my porch. I don’t have the words.”

Nott sunk down a little. “Oh. Were you sleeping under there?”

“Oh. Were you sleeping under there.” Caleb nodded. “I was sleeping under the porch.”

“You don’t really think that I’m going to let you keep doing that?” Nott asked continuing before he had the chance to respond. “You’re going to stay in the house from now on.”

Caleb repeated her and then looked stunned. “I’m to stay in the house?”

“Yes, of course you are. I’m not a monster. There’s no way I’m going to make you stay outside now that I know about you.” Nott folded her arms with finality.

He was getting faster at repeating what Nott said and was no longer stumbling over the words. “I, I’m not.” Caleb paused and frowned. “I’m alien, a monster. You don’t want me in your house.”

Nott stepped towards Caleb. He reflexively shrunk back. Cautiously, she approached him and put her hand on his arm. “Yes, I do. You’ll be safer in there. We won’t hurt you, Caleb. I mean, I’ll have a lot to explain to Yeza and we’ll need to hide you from the neighbors of course, but it’ll be fine.”

“Yes, I do. You’ll be safer in there. We won’t hurt you, Caleb. I mean, I’ll have a lot to explain to Yeza and we’ll need to hide you from the neighbors of course, but it’ll be fine.” Caleb stared at Nott like she was some kind of benevolent goddess. “It’ll be fine.” He closed his eyes and something shifted about him, and suddenly his tail was gone and his ears were replaced by normal human ones. When he opened his eyes again, they still glowed eerily and looked like a cat’s.

“We’ll get you sunglasses,” Nott said. “Let’s get you inside.” It was probably a foolish idea to bring in a random alien into her family’s home, but to be honest, she had done much dumber things for less of a reason.


	2. Cat's Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP! This fic is actually updating! 
> 
> *ahem* So I randomly remembered this fic and that fact that I wrote several chapters for it. The thing is that I got stuck at one point and decided not to update anything. But I think what I wrote was good so I'm sharing it anyways. Fair warning though, I'm probably not going to finish this one. Other fair warning, this is probably a 'shipping if you squint' chapter.

Rain pattered at the windows as Jester searched high and low in her house. “Mister Fancypants!! Where are you, Fiona F. Fancypants?!” She checked under her bed again only to find that it still lacked her cat. “Come on, you have to be here somewhere.” The storm outside was threatening to get worse, and she wanted to make sure that all of her pets were safe and happy.

A soft knocking came from the door. Jester scrambled up to get it and nearly hit her head on her bed. “Coming!!” She ran to the door and flung it open.

At her door stood an impossibly gangly man holding Fancypants. He wasn’t very tall, about average for a guy was Jester’s guess, but he was the skinniest guy Jester had ever seen. The weirder part was that he was wearing sunglasses despite it being a stormy night. “Is this your puss puss?” he asked flatly with a strange accent.

Jester had to stop herself from laughing at ‘puss puss’. “Yeah, that’s my cat, Fiona Fancypants. Thanks for finding him.”

“Yeah, that’s my cat, Fiona Fancypants. Thanks for finding him,” the man said. 

“That’s what I said.” Jester looked him over. His clothes were shaggy and various shades of brown. “You’re super weird.”

He nodded awkwardly. “I know. I sometimes have to repeat things to understand them.”

“Sorry, that was super rude to say, wasn’t it?” Jester asked.

The man shrugged. “I am weird.”

“I might be weird too. Hi, I’m Jester. Thanks for finding my cat.” She extended her hand for him to shake it, but he just stared at it.

“I might be weird too. Hi, I’m Jester. Thanks for finding my cat.” He kept holding Fancypants firmly in his arms and staring at Jester. “My name’s Caleb.”

Jester grinned. “It’s nice to meet you, Caleb.” She looked down at the cat in Caleb's arms. "Can I have my cat back now?"

Caleb stared at her blankly. "Frumpkin likes me."

"Oh, uh, that's nice," Jester said. "Who's Frumpkin?"

Caleb lifted Fiona Fancypants a little higher for Jester's sake. "He says he likes you very much."

"Oh, and you speak cat now, do you?" Jester teased.

He nodded. "He doesn't like being called Fiona."

Jester smirked. "And he prefers to be called Frumpkin."

"Yes, he does. That is his name," Caleb said very seriously. "Fancypants works as a nickname he says, but he'd prefer you to use his proper name."

Jester scratched 'Frumpkin' under his chin. "You were right. You are weird."

Caleb only shrugged. 

Lightning crashed outside and the lights flickered before going out. Jester shrieked a little and then covered her mouth. "Sorry. Sorry." She was acting like a dumb kid flinching at the dark, but she couldn’t help it. There was something about being in the dark that put her on edge. "You should come inside. It's not safe out there."

"Yes." Caleb stepped inside still holding 'Frumpkin'. Jester could barely see him in the dark. 

"I'll go get some candles." Jester knew that she had some in the kitchen. Feeling along the walls, she made her way into the kitchen with Caleb following behind her. "I don't see how you can see with those sunglasses on. I can barely see a foot in front of me."

There was a soft thump of 'Frumpkin' jumping down to the ground. "I'll go get some candles. I don't see how you can see with those sunglasses on. I can barely see a foot in front of me," Claeb repeated. "I have very good eyesight. It's easier to see with them on than off."

"You must eat a lot of carrots then." Jester pulled out some candles from the cupboard and fumbled in the drawer until she found the matches. "There." She shook the box to hear the reassuring clatter of matches but only heard a soft click. "Only one left. We'll need to make it count." Striking it against the box, Jester lit the match.

A loud hiss sounded from behind her. It almost sounded like 'Frumpkin', but it was too big, too loud, to have been her cat. The match went out immediately. "No, no, no," Jester pleaded to it. She needed it, needed the light. There was no way she was going to make it in the dark on such a stormy night by herself.

Caleb sighed loudly. The match sparked back to life a bigger flame than it was initially. Jester almost dropped the match in surprise. She quickly lit all the candles. Each candle now held a flame that was almost a fire they burned so brightly.

"How?" Jester whispered looking at the flames. She turned to Caleb and gasped. He now had a tail and two sizable cat's ears. "What the?" Jester stared at him not able to comprehend what she was seeing.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "I'm sorry. I'll get going."

Part of her was tempted to just let him leave, but Jester caught his arm. "You don’t have to go. It's still raining outside and don't cats hate the rain?"

“Frumpkin does. He says that your long cat does too,” Caleb said. “Your dog likes it though.” He said dog like it was a dirty word.

“Long cat? Wait, you mean Sprinkle? He’s a weasel.”

“Long cat? Wait, you mean Sprinkle? He’s a weasel.” Caleb nodded. “I’m still learning your language.”

Jester’s mind started to catch up with her. “You can talk to animals?”

“I can speak to Frumpkin and cats. Other animals have a different language,” Caleb said. “I haven’t learned all of them yet.” It sounded almost like an admittance of defeat.

"Do you know a lot of languages?" Jester asked.

Caleb shrugged looking away. "Six."

"I only know two," Jester said. "My mom made sure that I knew our mother tongue, but I don't use it much except for talking to her."

"Hmm." Caleb looked out the window, breathing softly. The candles' flames grew and shrank with his breath. It was beautiful in a strange way.

"So what are you?" Jester asked. "Like are you some ancient being from below the earth's surface? Or like a, um, creature from another plane? Or you escaped from a cruel experiment by the government and now you're trying to get your life back?"

Caleb gave her a strange look. "So what are you. Like are you some ancient being from below the earth's surface. Or like a, um, creature from another plane." He chuckled and then continued. "Or you escaped from a cruel experiment by the government and now you're trying to get you life back." A frown crossed his face. "An experiment? I don't have all the words, but I'm an alien."

Jester gasped. "You're from another planet? That's so cool!"

"You're from another planet. That's so cool.” He shook his head. “It's not that impressive. A lot of people travel the stars," Caleb said.

"Yeah, but I haven't met them. You're the first that I've met, and that makes you super cool," Jester pointed out.

Caleb stared at her, his ears perking up. He took off his sunglasses. His eyes were so bright blue they almost glowed. "You really think so?"

"Well, yeah. I bet you've seen a lot of cool things. What was it like? Do you miss it?"

Frumpkin rubbed up against Caleb's leg and he knelt down and petted him. "Sometimes. My home planet was ... I don't have the words."

"Do you want to go back there?" Jester asked.

Caleb turned away with a frown. "I can't."

"Oh. I can't go home either. Not yet." She grabbed fistfuls of her skirt. She missed her mom so much it hurt sometimes. Sure, she got to make friends like Beau and Fjord, but there was still a part of her that would always ache for Nicodranas.

"Will you?" Caleb asked. "Can you go back one day?"

Jester shrugged. "I don't know. I'm kinda in a lot of trouble there. I miss my mom a lot."

Caleb stared at her. "I'll help you."

"What?"

Caleb looked down. His ears flattened down. "I want to help you get home. You should be able to see your mom again."

"If I get to go home again, you should too," Jester said.

"It's more complicated than that." His tail wrapped around his waist.

Jester pouted. "It can't be more complicated than being wanted for pantsing a Lord guy in public."

"It can't be more complicated than being wanted for pantsing a Lord guy in public." Caleb laughed. "That's pretty funny."

“He didn’t think so,” Jester said. “He got me kicked out of the city. Well, technically, he has an arrest warrant out for me, but it’s the same thing.”

“He didn’t think so. He got me kicked out of the city. Well, technically, he has an arrest warrant out for me, but it’s the same thing,” Caleb repeated. “He should get a better sense of humor. That was a very funny joke.”

Jester nodded. “I know, right? So did you do something to get kicked out of your planet or something?”

Caleb stared up like he was looking through the ceiling. "Or something."

"Are you going to go back there someday?" Jester asked.

"It's impossible for me, but not for you." He had the saddest smile. "I want to help you."

Jester smiled back at him. "That's really sweet of you, but what can you do?"

"That's really sweet of you, but what can you do." Caleb smirked. There was something unsettling about it. "I have my talents."

Jester watched the flames rise and sink with his breath. "Yeah, you do. But I don't think setting things on fire is going to help me."

"I don't set things on fire," Caleb said darkly. The hair on his tail stood on end. "I can only wake up the fire that's there."

Jester set a soft hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything."

His fur settled back down. "Sorry. And thank you. You are kinder than I deserve."

"What? I didn't do anything though. I mean other than let you come out from the rain," Jester said. 

Caleb grinned slightly. "You don't know how much you offer to people, do you?" It was a strange thing to say, but Jester could sense no maliciousness behind it.

Jester checked her phone. "It’s starting to get late. Do aliens have to sleep?"

"This one does."

"Okay, so I'm keeping my room, but you can sleep on the couch. Unless you already have a place to stay," Jester said.

"I stay with my friend Nott. You don't have to worry about me," Caleb said, though he didn't look happy about the idea of going back into the rain.

Jester gasped. "You know Nott! She's my detective friend! Wait, is it the same Nott? She's super short and has a really cute son and husband. Um, Luc and Yeza."

"You know Nott. She's my detective friend. Wait, is it the same Nott. She's super short and has a really cute son and husband. Um, Luc and Yeza." Caleb nodded. "Same Nott."

"Same Nott! I have her phone number so I can totally call her for you if you want. Wait, she lives on like the other side of town. What are you doing over here so late?" There weren't any shops or that sort of thing on Jester's side of town and no reason to be out so late unless you were visiting someone or something.

Caleb looked down. "I was looking for something."

"And you found Frumpkin. Was he what you were looking for?" Jester asked.

Caleb shook his head. "No, but I'm glad I found him."

Jester grinned at Caleb. "I'm glad you were the one to find him too."

"You are?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah, cause that means that I got to meet you and make a new friend!" Jester said. An uncertain expression crossed Caleb's face. "Unless we aren't friends." Did she misread the situation?

Caleb shook his head again. "No, we are. If you want to be, that is."

"I do!"

Caleb smiled cautiously. "I do too."

"This is going to be great! I can show you all sorts of cool earth things and you can tell me what Frumpkin's saying and what he likes."

His smile became more confident. "I'd like that."

A smile spread across Jester's face. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, the flames flaring with Caleb's breath was Eyeloch's suggestion.


	3. Cat's Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Chapter! I should have like 3 more chapters after this one unless I suddenly decide to continue writing this. ...I don't really remember what happens though, so we'll see what happens.

There was something suspicious about the guy who started coming into the library with the Brenattos. Though to be fair, Beau tended to be suspicious of most people, but this guy was particularly suspect. Beau just couldn’t pinpoint why.

He’d stick close to Nott at first, not daring to touch the books and repeating nearly everything she said. There was something off about how he looked, like his limbs were too thin for the length of them or maybe it was the length of his torso that was off. And then he’d always wear those stupid sunglasses no matter how dark it was outside. Eventually Caleb got a library card, but then he started taking out obscene amounts of books and then bringing them back half a day later trying to convince the librarians to let him check out more. And for some reason, he had pegged Beau as the best one to always ask.

"It ain't worth my job," Beau said as she shelved books. "Can't you just wait the day for the books to be checked back in? You can get more books tomorrow."

Caleb huffed at that suggestion. "You have so many books here though. You won't miss any if I just take some more."

"I don't make the rules, I just get fired if I break them." She side-eyed him. "I'm not even sure that you're human."

"What?" Caleb froze.

Beau rolled her shoulders stretching. "You heard me. I'm onto you. There's a lot pointing to you not being from around here." Maybe it was showing her hand too early, but it should make him nervous, messy. She was going to find out what was up with him.

"I'm," Caleb looked away rubbing his arm, "it's complicated."

Beau snorted. "I'm used to complicated. I exposed the mayor's affair and his wife's all in the same day. Sooner or later I'm going to figure out what your deal is and why you're so desperate for books."

"I'm used to complicated. I exposed the mayor's affair and his wife's all in the same day. Sooner or later I'm going to figure out what your deal is and why you're so desperate for books." Caleb frowned and then looked back at Beau. "One night in the library."

"What?"

"I'll tell you all about me and 'my deal' for a night here. Unlimited access to all the books. Is it a deal?" Caleb asked.

Beau stared at him dumbfounded. "Wait, you'll tell me just like that?"

"For a room full of books? I'd do anything."

"If we get caught, I'm so dead." Beau paused. Did she really care about her job or what the stuck up librarians thought of her? "You know what, sure, let's do this."

* * *

Caleb was waiting by the back door with Mrs. Brenatto a half hour after closing. "What the f%$# is she doing here?" Beau asked.

"Nott's my friend and if I'm telling you everything, I'm telling her everything," Caleb said. He had a shoulder bag that looked loaded with something. "Can we come in?"

Beau rolled her eyes. It was too late to turn back now. "Sure, come in."

The library was eerily quiet after hours and made Beau feel small and insignificant. Caleb acted like he was in some sort of sacred sanctuary. He pulled out several notebooks from his bag and headed to the nearest shelf.

Beau held out an arm stopping. "Yeah, no. You're touching nothing until you tell me what the hell you are."

"Yeah, no. You're touching nothing until you tell me what the hell you are," Caleb said, repeating her.

"That's getting really old really fast," Beau said.

"Hey!" Nott shoured. "It's how he learns, so watch it."

Beau huffed. "Still obnoxious. Do you have to say it out loud?"

Caleb nodded. "Yes, unfortunately. And as for what I am, I’m a zemnian.”

“A what?” Beau asked.

Caleb gave her half a smirk and suddenly he wasn’t himself anymore. Well, he was still too thin and pale with messy rusty hair, but now he had cat-like ears and a tail covered with pale red fur. “A zemnian.”

Beau jumped backwards startled. She tried to play off cool, but Nott just smirked at her. “That means he’s from outer space,” Nott said with more condensenscion than Beau needed.

“I get it,” Beau grumbled. “But what are you doing here then?”

“That’s a bit of a long story,” Caleb said as he sat down at one of the tables. “A story about how I nearly destroyed my home planet.” He sat there in silence for a long moment staring at nothing. “I was a clever child. I wanted to know and learn everything. My parents were so proud of me when I got into a school off planet. It was supposed to be my chance to prove myself."

"So what happened?" Beau asked.

"I went to school and I learned, but one of the teachers, Ikithon, saw a greater potential in me. He took me to a special part of the school that was secluded from the rest. There were two other students with me. They were also from Zemni." Caleb took a breath and sighed. “It wasn't a school but a hospital. They were going to make us healthier, better. I agreed to it and so did my friends. And it was good. Our teacher, he hurt us, but we learned so much. We became stronger and that was the point wasn't it?"

Nott bristled. “Hurt you how?”

“Experiments. To give us unbelievable powers and strengths.” He snapped his fingers and a small spark flew up. With a frown from Caleb, the fire grew. "But it was more than I could handle. It was like being a cup filled with a gallon of gasoline. I couldn't keep it in." The fire flared. "They taught me how to make my fire grow, to let it consume, but not control and not how to stop it. I gave it no thought at the time. I was strong and that was all I wanted."

"I take it fire ain’t exactly normal for your kind," Beau said.

Caleb snorted. "Hardly. The experiments they did were incredibly painful, but I endured them. Then it drew close to the time for me to graduate." The fire danced across Caleb's hand as he frowned down at it. "I got to go home, to my home planet and see my mother and father. They were so proud of me. I caught the curtains on fire, but they didn't care. They were so proud." There was a bitterness to Caleb's voice. "That night, my fire flared. I was asleep, I didn't even know what had happened. The house burned down by the time I woke up. The flames only grew. I tried to stop them, but it was no use. They only grew more and more. The town turned to ash and the flames only spread."

"You weren't ready," Nott said gently resting a hand on him. "It’s not your fault. Your teachers should've realized that you weren't ready."

"Not ready? Oh I was ready," Caleb said a sneer on his face. "The school picked me up after that. I was half mad and they treated me like I had done a good job. I wasn't their pupil, I was their bomb. That was why they trained me, created me. For destruction."

"That's pretty f%^&ed up man," Beau said. "So what happened then?"

Caleb sighed. "I broke. I couldn't take it and I broke. They kept me in a cell in some war ship and dumped me out whenever they needed a bomb. I spent a long time like that. And on one planet, I was, there was this woman and she-" he stopped with a frown. "I don't have the words, but she changed me. My mind was clear for the first time in years. I was free.

“I found a way to escape and steal an ... escape ship?"

"You mean escape pod," Nott said. “You came here on an escape pod?”

"You mean escape pod. You came here on an escape pod," Caleb repeated. "Yes that. I took an escape pod and aimed it as far as I could away from there. It took me nearly five years to get here, but I'm here now and away from those bastards."

Nott frowned. "Five years is a long time to be all alone."

"I'm a loner so it was fine. It gave me plenty of time to master my abilities and figure out my next step," Caleb said.

"And what's your next step?" Beau asked.

Caleb smiled. It had to be the most unnerving thing Beau had ever seen. "Study."


	4. Cat's Nerves

Fjord took a deep breath preparing himself for taking out the garbage. It wasn't that he hated the task itself, though it was unpleasant. But it was already dark outside and there had been all sorts of strange sounds outside lately, and Fjord would rather not have to deal with them. So he took one more deep breath, ran out to the dumpster, and threw the bag of discarded fish heads and tails in. Once done, he turned to run back in when he heard an unsettling sound.

There was a rattling from another dumpster and a stranger growling muttering noise. "It's probably just a raccoon. That's all," Fjord told himself. The dumpster shook and Fjord let out a high pitch scream. "Go away!"

The dumpster stilled and a pair of bright glowing eyes looked up at him. "What, what do you want from me?!" Fjord screamed.

"Nothing." The eyes looked back down into the dumpster. "Though I might take the fish you got there."

"I already threw it out." Fjord tried not to cry, but the urge was strong.

Whoever or whatever was at the dumpster hummed. "Shame. I'll just get it later."

"Why are you, what are you?"

"That's none of your business," a shrill voice said. 

Fjord groaned. "What in the sam hill are you doing here, Nott?"

"What in the sam hill are you doing here, Nott," the thing in the dumpster repeated.

"I'm getting my friend," Nott said. "What are you doing screaming out here like a little girl?"

Fjord's face turned red. "I wasn't screaming like a little girl. That was a startled gasp."

"I wasn't screaming like a little girl. That was a startled gasp."

Nott snorted. "You could've fooled me."

"What is that?" Fjord pointed at the dumpster. 

Nott shone the flashlight on her phone at it. A man's head poked out of it and soon the rest of him did too. He carried an armful of discarded electronics and hardware. "Oh, that's just Caleb."

"What is he doing in the trash?"

"I need these," Caleb said flatly.

Nott nodded smugly. "See, he needs them. You really should learn to mind your own business Fjord."

Fjord huffed in frustration. "I'm not the one digging through the trash in the middle of the effing night."

"Then why are you out here?" Nott asked, her voice full of accusation.

"I'm taking out the garbage!"

"Shh!" Nott whispered exaggeratedly. "People are trying to sleep. Come along, Caleb. Let's go home."

Caleb nodded but first went to the other dumpster and grabbed Fjord's bag of fish guts. "Frumpkin will like these."

Nott smiled fondly at him. "Of course." And they left.

Fjord stared after them. "Seriously, what the f$%^ was that?"

**Author's Note:**

> CAT ALIEN CALEB! ...I like monsters and stuff.


End file.
